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He entered into one of the boats, which was Simon's, and asked him to put out a little from the land. He sat down and taught the multitudes from the boat. When he had finished speaking, he said to Simon, 'Put out into the deep, and let down your nets for a catch.' Simon answered him, 'Master, we wor...

He told them this parable. 'Which of you men, if you had one hundred sheep, and lost one of them, wouldn't leave the ninety-nine in the wilderness, and go after the one that was lost, until he found it?' Luke 15:3 WEBWhen I first got serious about serving the Lord Jesus, I was a musician and played ...

Yahweh spoke to Manasseh, and to his people; but they didn't listen. Therefore Yahweh brought on them the captains of the army of the king of Assyria, who took Manasseh in chains, bound him with fetters, and carried him to Babylon. When he was in distress, he begged Yahweh his God, and humbled himse...

Luke Chapter 12

Luke 12 Outline:12:01-03 The leaven of the Pharisees.12:04-12 Live ready for judgment.12:13-21 The rich fool.12:22-34 Seek the Kingdom of God.12:35-40 The coming of the Son of man.12:41-48 The responsibility of servants.12:49-53 Fire on the earth.12:54-59 The signs of the times.

Fun Facts:— Jesus called His disciples friends (Luke 12:4).— Luke 12:24 is the only place that ravens are mentioned in the new testament. They were considered “unclean” (Lev 11:15) but God cared for them as well.

Study Notes:Luke 12:1-3 Though many thousands of people had gathered to hear Jesus, when He began to teach, He spoke to His disciples first. They were not allowed to sit idly by and listen. Jesus made it clear that His words were for them as well.

Leaven was a fermentation agent, in the Bible leftover dough (sour dough) was mixed with new dough to help it rise. Yeast has replaced sour dough today and some translations use yeast instead of leaven.

The idea is that the leaven / yeast of the Pharisees which was hypocrisy, would slowly and constantly spread once started. Being a hypocrite means that things have to be hidden from the public, but Jesus said that all things would be revealed. This may refer to the coming judgment day, as well as God exposing sin.

Luke 12:4-5 The teaching of the Pharisees judgement leads onto a more general discussion on the fear of God. The fear of God is not talked about much these days but to me is a deep respect and recognition of the awesome greatness and power of the almighty God. Perfect love casts out fear (1 John 4:18) but not this. We are to fear / respect / reverence / obey God. Think of standing in front of a supreme court judge who has the power to sentence you to death, and scale it up to the Creator of the universe.

Luke 12:6 Jesus did not want to frighten His friends and reassured them with a story of the little birds. He balanced His message by saying that not even one sparrow was forgotten before God, and we are worth more than many sparrows. Even the hairs on our head are all numbered.

Luke 12:8 Jesus gave a warning that whoever acknowledged Him would be acknowledged before the angels of God and whoever denied Him, would be denied. Today we are unlikely to deny Him as Peter did, though times are growing darker and we may be given a choice. We may, however, deny the authority of His teaching, presuming that we know better or we may try and explain away what He said. Some deny His divinity.

Luke 12:10 The unpardonable sin. Jesus told the crowd that blasphemy against the Holy Spirit would not be forgiven. This is what I understand about that: Blasphemy means to vilify, defame, rail on, revile, or speak evil about someone. Jesus talked about this in Mark 3:22 after the Pharisees said that He cast out demons by the power of beelzebub. They intentionally attributed the power of the Holy Spirit to the devil. They called good evil. People in such a situation cannot repent and seek forgiveness because they lack a sense of sin at all, they felt right and God wrong. It is this continuing attitude that is the ultimate sin. God’s power to forgive is not abated, but this kind of sinner no longer has the capacity to repent and believe.

People may blaspheme and then repent; the blasphemy is not their final word. But he who blasphemes against the Holy Spirit is in a much worse case. We must understand this, not of the uttering of any form of words, but of the set of the life (‘It denotes the conscious and wicked rejection of the saving power and grace of God towards man’). This blasphemy is so serious because it concerns the whole person, and not a few words spoken on any one occasion.

The Holy Spirit is our Helper. He is present with God’s people, especially when persecuted (12). If you are concerned at all that you have ever committed an unforgivable sin, you have not, because the one able to do it does not care one bit. They will continue hardened, unrepentant and unforgiven to the end because that is their choice, not God’s.

Luke 12:13 Someone in the crowd interrupted Jesus and He taught on the right use of material possessions. Rabbis customarily gave decisions on disputed points of law and this man saw Jesus as a rabbi. Jesus looked past all of this and addressed the attitudes of the ones involved. The word translated “Man” here is used for “Stranger.” Also the man did not ask for a fair decision, just to decide in his favor. Jesus made it clear that He came to bring people to God, not property to people.

Guard yourselves, take heed, beware against every type of greed with a seriousness of blocking attacks with a shield in battle. A person's life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions.

Jesus tells a parable about a very selfish farmer who used "me, myself, and I" a lot. He has a huge harvest and is not concerned about using his wealth wisely. He has no concern of serving God, helping others, or even providing a better life for himself. He is only concerned with hoarding and self-indulgence. God called this man a fool. No one knows what tomorrow holds for them but this man assumed that he was in control of his future. Jesus concludes the story with a contrast of laying up treasures for self, and not being rich toward the things of God, which matters the most.

Luke 12:22 Jesus addressed His disciples again and moves on from the sins of greed and selfishness to that of worry and anxiety, which in a way are connected. Greed can never get enough. Worry is afraid that it may not have enough. Wealth can be a danger to those who do not have it, as well as those who do.

Luke 12:31 After discussing the negative and what not to do, Jesus moves on to discuss what you should be doing. His message was basically, “Seek the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and God will provide the things that you need.” In verse 33 Jesus instructs His followers to sell possessions and give to the needy which would provide them with treasure in heaven.

Apparently Jesus was not against people owning houses because the beloved disciple took the mother of Jesus into his home (John 19:27), and Jesus stayed at Martha’s house (Luke 10:38). I believe that there is a balance here in that the rich man in the previous parable who had to build even bigger barns to hold his wealth. When is enough, enough? When would you be able to help someone else? In the case of the rich fool, never.

Luke 12:35 After the teaching of the right way to use wealth, Jesus reminds them that earthly possessions are temporary but His return is sure and we should be ready for it because He will come at an hour that we do not expect. He tells a parable about a master that has gone to a wedding feast and the servants are at home waiting on his return. The second coming is certain, but the time is unknown.

Luke 12:41 Peter asks Jesus who the parable of the watchful servant was meant for and Jesus answered with another parable. A master appointed a servant as manager over his household and then apparently went on a journey. The servant had considerable freedom over the estate. A diligent servant whom his master found working efficiently when he returned would be promoted. If the master stayed gone a long time though, a careless servant may begin to feel independent. He may forget that he is actually just the servant, and not the master. It is a bit like the sheriff of Nottingham in the story of Robin Hood. The longer the king delayed coming, the more wicked he became. The master’s sudden return would surprise him and the wicked servant would be cut in pieces and put with the unfaithful (46).

Some thoughts: Jesus was talking to Peter and His disciples (Luke 12:41). He plainly told them that they were to serve faithfully, watchfully and to feed the other servants while He was away. if they abused the freedom they were given and became wicked servants, they would be put with the unfaithful on His return (46). The disciple who knew His Master’s will but did not get ready or act on it would receive a severe beating. God’s unconditional love will not be a "get out of jail free" card if they chose to continue in disobedience.

Luke 12:49 There is a sense in which Jesus came to bring peace. Some things, however, are more important than peace, and sometimes his message and the way it is received mean division. Jesus spells this out.

(50) The baptism that He spoke of was death, which He mentioned when James and John asked Him to sit beside Him in His kingdom (Mark 10:38). To die on the cross was the very purpose of His coming and it hung over Jesus like a shadow.

Jesus brought inner peace, but not outer peace. His message brought division. Jesus told His followers to deny themselves, take up their cross and follow Him (Luke 9:23; 14:27). When people do not do this themselves, they become critical of those who do and this divides them. These divisions often will occur in families. Also, the family of five in verse 52 have not grown to six in the next verse, for the mother and the mother-in-law are the same woman. The family is father, mother, son, son’s wife (who would come and live with them), and daughter.

Luke 12:54 Jesus told the crowds that they could read the signs and winds of the earth, but completely ignored the winds of God. Even though they were very religious, they completely missed seeing the significance of the coming of Jesus.

Luke 12:57 Jesus encourages those listening to make peace with God, to settle the case before it went to court, before the day of judgment comes because if they wait to the end, they will have to pay the full price.

Study Questions: (if your answers are very long, you may want to type them first in something like Word or Notepad, which doesn't require an Internet connection, then copy and paste (Ctrl-A to select, Ctrl-V to copy, Ctrl-V to paste), to prevent mishaps. Also, there is a 3K character limit, so if they are super long, feel free to post more than once, and just answer a couple of questions at a time. You are welcome to post any questions you may have. We look forward to your thoughts!)

1. Jesus spoke against the “leaven of the Pharisees, which is hypocrisy” (Luke 12:1). In the previous verses, the Pharisees were asking for Jesus to teach, but actually trying to catch him in error. It is probably easier than we think to be the one who doesn’t “say what we mean and mean what we say” and “practice what we preach”. In what ways can we avoid the trap the Pharisees fell into?

2. In Luke 12:4-6, Jesus said that we should not fear those who can kill our bodies, but he who has “authority to cast into hell”, yet we are not to fear because we “are of more value than many sparrows”. What does this section mean to you?

3. The Lord instructed us not to be anxious because the Holy Spirit “will teach us in that very hour what you ought to say” (Luke 12:12). In what ways has the Holy Spirit spoken to you, and how can we learn to be more sensitive to His voice?

4. In Luke 12:22, Jesus assures us that we do not have be anxious about our needs, no more than the lilies of the field. Most of us have probably gone through times when this faith is challenged by circumstances. How can we strengthen our faith here?

5. Jesus said in Luke 12:45-46 of the servant who acted badly (beat the servants, got drunk) that the Master would “cut him in pieces and put him with the unfaithful.” What does this section mean to you?

Carol Pady
1. When speaking to others we must speak God's word even if it isn't received positively. We must advise and answer with love and with Truth.
2. When faced with extreme adversity, even in perilous situations we must be bold and trust that God will protect us from our enemies. For even if we lose our life it is gain.
3. The Holy Spirit convicts me to seek His wisdom and guidance in all I do
4. The way to strengthen our faith is to pray,pray,pray and worry less.
5. We must always be prepared for Jesus' return. Repent often and love others as ourselves!

June 29, 2015

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Liesel aka Lisa Wardle
We live in dark times given all the things going on right now, looking at the Supreme Court's rulings and so on ... don't even want to think about how much darker it will become when the "Hl. Spirit" is being taken out, and so many will be left behind ....... We need to pray, pray and pray!!!!!!!

Patty Martin
(1)
We can be less like
the Pharisees by not acting or speaking in a way that seems superior to another
person; by being righteous for God and relaying his truths but resisting a self-righteous
attitude. We should try our best to follow the teachings of Jesus and live our
life in ways that glorify God. (2) We must have faith
that God will protect us from our enemies or equip us to protect ourselves, but
also accept that if our enemies do harm to us, that life in this world is only
temporary. Our true reward is eternal life
in Heaven. Our minds must worry less
about what others think of us or the harm they could do us, but to keep our focus
on the One above, who is our salvation.

June 29, 2015

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Patty Martin
(3) The Holy Spirit
spoke to me on Saturday after I read many hateful comments people posted on
Facebook about the SCOTUS decision on Friday, as well as the issues regarding
the Confederate flag. People on both
sides spoke with cruelty about one another because of differences of
opinion. I was mildly attacked because I
posted a picture of an eagle, head bowed, that read, “Lord, help us find you
once again, and heal this once great nation.”
My posting was expressing what weighed heavy on my heart in the many
ways that our country has been divided, not just because of Friday’s decision.
After having my Christianity questioned and attacked, I had to pause, leave the
computer, and pray for wisdom before I responded. I know the Holy Spirit spoke
to me because I did not lash back in anger, but replied in a way that would
please God. Had I not stopped to pray
and ask for wisdom, I would not have given the Holy Spirit time to provide the
wisdom I needed when confronted by adversity.

June 29, 2015

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Patty Martin
(4)
Praying without
ceasing is the only way I have ever been able to find the comfort I need to
worry less about circumstances that seem beyond my control. After prayer, I
talk to another Christian (usually my sister-in-law) and share the concerns I
had before prayer and after prayer. It
often helps to talk to another brother or sister in Christ. I also turn to scripture for more words of
wisdom. Trust that “God has this” and
counting my blessings rather than my misfortunes keep me grounded.

June 29, 2015

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Patty Martin
(5)
I believe this
passage means that we must never take for granted God’s mercy and grace. We cannot sin, ask for forgiveness, and go
right out and keep on committing the same sin.
God knows if we ask forgiveness from a sincere heart and He knows if we
ask forgiveness out of habit rather than sincerity. I also think it means that we should always
take care of the gifts God has provided, whether that means raising our
children with love and care, being devoted to our spouses, honoring our parents
or caregivers, giving our employers 100 % of our abilities, or taking care of
our homes and other belongings. We must
remember that God gives, but He can also take away. To
deliberately disobey His Word, or to disregard the gifts he has blessed us
with, is disrespectful to God .

June 29, 2015

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Monica Donald
1. Being humble is a way to avoid this trap. We are blessed with grace. Saying one thing and doing another is not the way in which Jesus expects us to live. Make your yes yes and your no no. Lead by example, someone is always watching you. If your life and words do not match, how can you lead anyone to Christ?

June 29, 2015

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Monica Donald
2. Our bodies came from the earth and so if man kills the human body it will return to the earth. It dies only once, however, to have the Lord cast your spiritual body to hell, you die eternally, which is a fate worse than the human death. So to fear man is nothing but to fear the Lord is everything.

June 29, 2015

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Monica Donald
3. The Holy Spirit has spoken to me in many ways, through my dreams, while I'm driving, or just sitting at work listening to music. I've learned how to get quiet so that I can hear the Holy Spirit when He speaks

June 29, 2015

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Monica Donald
4. I pray constantly when I get anxious. I leave the problem with the Lord and I pray until I feel peace

June 29, 2015

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Monica Donald
5. No matter the situation or the circumstance you should always strive to do what is right. You will be rewarded for your integrity

June 29, 2015

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Patty Martin
Ginger, I am enjoying it too. This is such a great place to stay connected, learn from Pastor Dion, and learn from others.

June 30, 2015

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Lorna Smetak
To be humble, forgive, have patience, the Lord's angels (Holy Spirit) will teach you what ought you to say. 2.) Our bodies are made from the dust of the earth and there it will return. God judges based on our actions (body) while on earth and we should not worry about things that we need for (spiritually) we will have once we go to heaven. 3.) When some one asked me what the greatest commandment was in the bible was. At the time of the question I wasn't

June 30, 2015

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Lorna Smetak
paying attention to much and being focused on another conversation, I turned and the answer flowed out of my mouth. After the answer came out I was so shocked since I was not ready for the answer, so I turned and kinda looked at my mouth and said to myself where did that answer come from? I was totally shocked and I will never forget it. More sensitive to his voice? Be patient, relaxed, open minded and not worry about every day life.

June 30, 2015

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Lorna Smetak
4.) A lot of us (my husband) always worries about money. Sometimes I let it bother me (95%) but then I remember that I should not worry because one way or the other the Lord will provide if we have patience, pray and believe. Another time was not knowing what to say on a conversation and I had to take a deep breath and relax, and listen for what to say. 5.) Our action are never concealed from God, he knows and sees everything. It reminds me of what a parent would say to there children, "You better be on your best behavior for when I come home ( you knew approx. but not for sure) and the house is messy you will not be able to go to park." (example)

June 30, 2015

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Lorna Smetak
Sorry it is 5% of the time for me not 95% of the time. I need to clarify my statement there other wise it doesn't make cense. Also it is the truth.

June 30, 2015

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Deleted Member
1) I have always felt like if we try to keep our hearts like humble like little children, then Jesus can help us to realize we need to live before others like Christ and not to think we are better than anyone, because if we have the true of Jesus in our hearts, we won't be like the Pharisees, we will be Christ-Like. Even if we never speak a word sometimes, people can see Jesus in your life, if you just walk it.

Deleted Member
Yes, worry can take away our peace that Jesus wants us to have, many times in the human eyes, when we see no way, we start thinking that way, and thats when we have to lay it all at the feet of Jesus, believing and trusting Him to provide in whatever way we need. God is amazing and He has great things for His children.

Deleted Member
Amen, we shouldn't fear what man can do to us, because if we put our total trust in Jesus, we have him to answer to, no matter what man might say, if we trust Jesus, He will guide our footsteps in a righteous path.

Michael Griffin
Worry creates stress, which can cause us to lose much needed sleep and can affect out eating habits as well. He (Jesus) wants us to give all of our troubles to Him, knowing that He will handle it. We can't do it ourselves! Isn't it wonderful to know that He is here for us?

Deleted Member
Amen, I too want to completely keep my eyes on Jesus, because you can never go wrong trusting Him. I look at this life as my temporary home and one day I will be with Jesus in my permanent home. Wow, what an awesome God we serve.

Lorna Smetak
Yes. I forgot that one on my first answer but on the third it showed up. =)

June 30, 2015

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Lorna Smetak
I understand where your coming from on Friday's decision.

June 30, 2015

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Deborah Alexander
Q#3=I'm learning to be sensitive to the voice of the Holy Spirit we must to as God says which is to "BE STILL" and know that He is God
Q#4=We can strengthen our Faith by not only staying in His word, but by Trusting His word and knowing it is the Truth and will not go back to God void, but will do what He said He will do. For God is a man that can not lie. Amen
Pastor Todd & 1st Lady Sylvia I really am getting alot from the Bible studies and I'm enjoying and looking forward to each new one. Thank you and may God continue to richly Bless you, your family, and RHM Family in Jesus name I Pray.

June 30, 2015

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Deleted Member
2) I feel as if Jesus is telling us not to fear what man can do to us, but what God can do to us and do for us. We should fear God in such a way knowing He has all power, if we choose to do wrong or if we choose to do good. He gives us free will, but He wants us to live for Him so that Heaven can be our home one day. I love living for Jesus.

Deleted Member
3) Jesus has taught me through The Holy Spirit that fear and anxiety comes from satan, Jesus only wants us to fear Him in the sense that we will be concerned for our souls and live for Him, but satan gives us the kind of fear and anxieties that trouble our hearts and minds into despair. So, in my learning, that fear satan tries to bring on me, I tell satan to get behind me in the Name of Jesus and now I can live at more peace, knowing God is not giving me that spirit of fear, but of a sound mind and that has been an awesome blessing to me. When fear comes, it has to go, because fear and doubt, Jesus will cast out.

Kay Rushin
Q1-Do not give our opinion, focus of God's word.
Q2-If his eye is on the sparrow, I know God is watching over me.
Q3-I can pray more for discernment , for me it is a feeling that just doesn't feel right, I try to study his word to understand where it is coming from.....sometimes it is traditional nonsense. Sometimes it is Him leading me
Q4-Reading the bible, I trust and believe in his promises. Being honest when I look over your my life. I can see the times I can say it had to be divine intervention.
Q5-I better be forever watchful, seeking him always...doing his will. Don't get caught with your pants down.....LOL I am silly.

July 1, 2015

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Kathy Banfield
GREAT Bible study! This is just as good (if not better!) than the one I just completed at my local parish! Anyhow, #1 I thought about this, and I really think that to a certain extent, we are ALL hypocrites. Me included. We sorta have to be in order to survive in today's world, which is a downright shame. But all I can try to do is stand up for what I believe to be true, and that means anything written in the Bible. I use the Word of God as my moral compass and try to live by the 10 commandments. No one will argue with me when I say it is wrong to lie and steal. But some people justify "petty theft" and claim that a "little white lie" is often necessary to salvage relationships; I disagree on that.I think I was born a kleptomaniac and have to work very hard NOT to lift those extra tissues and pens at public places! #2 Time and again, God has shown me that He has my back, so to speak--even this past week, when I was so destitute that I could not afford toilet paper.I used old scraps of fabric instead! And I was able to get powdered milk at the local food pantry.A few days ago, I'm quite sure it was Satan who stirred up my anxiety when my next door neighbor was firing up his BBQ for the 4th consecutive day--when all I had to eat was oatmeal.But I am also convinced that this is temporary.I've been through worse.Probably will encounter more periods of utter squalor, but I KNOW I will endure! #3 Oh indeed, this just happened recently! I was talking with my neighbor, and I suddenly felt compelled to ask her who was the first person to see the resurrected Christ?(My kindly neighbor was criticizing me for all the mistakes I had made in my youth) She couldn't answer that, but assumed it was someone of importance.Well, Jesus had cast out 7 demons from Mary Magdalene, and if HE said she was forgiven, she was! That's all the proof I need to know that MY sins are forgiven as well.#4 reminds me of Jesus telling his disciples that we are to forgive "seven times seventy"--and maybe even MORE---just as our Father forgives us, we must forgive others. I continue to wrestle with forgiveness, especially after the painful accusations my own father threw at me recently. It really hurts when my own family deems me to be a devil. Yes, once again, my mother suggested an exorcism for me.She tried that back in 1974 and was upset because no priest would go along with my family's wishes. But according to my parents: I am satan incarnated.Because of hearing this ever since I was 13, I continue to see a psychiatrist.
Thanks and blessings to all, Kathy

July 2, 2015

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Sylvia Todd
I agree, Kathy, we are all hypocrites to some degree! I believe though, living right is kind of like eating right. We can try to have good habits and probably fail sometimes, or we can go all out with the deep-fried Twinkies :D! Not talking about attaining righteousness, 'cause we know that's not where it comes from, but as you described, being able to respond well to temptations :).

July 2, 2015

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Sylvia Todd
"His eye is on the sparrow"...one of my favorite songs :).

Patty Martin
So true, Monica. People do watch us, especially when they know we are Christians. We must strive to live a life that is pleasing to God so others will want that too. The old cliche, "actions speak louder than words" is something my mom taught me when I was little. It took some maturing on my part (physically, mentally, and spiritually) to understand exactly what she meant. Now I strive to live my life in a way that pleases our Lord and hopefully brings others to Him.

July 3, 2015

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Tina G
As for being hypocrital: For me this means that my words and my actions need to match. I ask God for help with this regularly.